Yesterday, this girl...

put on some muckers.

stomped into the marsh.

emerged with a ginormous stick.

for her dear friend henry.

broke off the top.

handed it over.

then finished her rhubarb.

she has come a long way from her days in plastic heels and refusal to hike.

well done goosey.

proud of you.

Epic Year.

In reflection of 2012 I realize what an epic year it has really been...
We moved to our Village officially on January 1st, the best decision we could have made. I fell in love with this view...

Brought the kids snowboarding for the very first time!
















Met this special family who have made this village feel more like home than we could have ever imagined.

Bonded with winter root vegetables...

Ran into a farm and had a lovely early spring park dinner...

Watched SPRING come!!

Got super crafty and planned the most fantastic Easter celebration ever. 

I witnessed this...

I got a job and therefore started celebrating these...

I welcomed summer and its abundance of corn!!!

Got a SURPRISE VISIT!!

And survived yet another dance recital, PHEW!

Then my mom moved to The City, my very favorite city...

and we discovered this place... right down the street.

Then we had the most fantastic summer EVA!!

to be cont'd...

To celebrate...

a New Year and Ten Years passing.

Once upon a time I married a boy.  Today he is the man of my dreams.  

How does one celebrate such an monumental occasion? 

Luckily there are lots of options when you share an anniversary with the last night of the year.  People tend to gather together with light hearts and warm spirits.  So we just get to fit our celebration right in.

But ten years is a big one and I had to really think about what I was up for.  Did I want to share this night with anyone besides my Mister?  How did I see this night ahead of me?  What were my expectations...

I decided what I wanted was a night of intention.

So... this is how it went down.

Favorite flowers from my favorite shop.  A beautiful winter bouquet made by a beautiful flower connoisseur. Upon the pick up of our exquisite arrangement, flowers are not our only treat.  Chris is so engaging that you feel like you should pull up a chair and stay for the day.  She wished us a Happy Anniversary and a wonderful New Year and it was so lovely to see her.

I was thrilled to be invited to a most engaging dinner with our close friends Chris and Corie.  The food was nothing short of amazing, for many of the ingredients come right there from their farm.  Chris is a pizza maker extraordinaire and we all got to partake in the making of our very own.  

The bakery oven kept us toasty and the conversation kept us lively.  I made up some 2011/2012 questions for the table and we spent our chewing moments getting to know a bit more about each other and the year we had/hope for...  It was lovely.  We were thrilled to see Henry and Samantha there with their parents as well as Max, a dear friend of Noah's whom we thought was a perfect addition.  Thank you friends, for sharing in this special night...

Then to make our night, well... awesome, we sent a drift some Chinese lanterns, making wishes and marking this night in history.  It was nothing short of perfect.

and then I received my gift...and it was just lovely.

Our present to each other is a beautiful life in Vermont.  No diamonds, no gifts, no overnight stays... just the life we have always wanted to live.

Flash invite. Accepted.

6:30pm. Last night.

We are scarfing down dinner.

Phone rings in the other room, we ignore b/c there is too much to do and we need to keep scarfing.

The Mister and I are making the list...

pack for a cross country trip

don't forget to charge electronics

don't forget underwear

get the laundry out of the dryer

check the weather

do the dishes

finish MAKING xmas gifts

and on, and on, and on...

I grab the phone to check the weather and see a msg.  We all listen and it went like this (word for word):

Okay you guys, this is a flash invite.  Kinda like a flash dance, you know? Where everyone starts dancing. We are inviting you over RIGHT NOW, RIGHT HERE AND NOW when we are making t-shirts, b&b farm t-shirts, we are inviting you over for ice cream.  Boom bam boom everyone gets ice cream and everyone goes home with a t-shirt. BAM. boom. done. like that. boom. Alright bye. 

The Mister took the phone.

Dialed.

Proceeded to say:

This makes absolutely no sense for us this evening.  We will be right over.

and that is the good stuff in life...

Noah has never heard of a better invite, and frankly neither have I.

Um, yes... Gabi likes her ice cream. 

HELPFUL assistants to the right -->

 HOPELESS assistants in the back please!!

Ok, you redeemed yourself... you can help!

 The kids were beaming about their shirts! Gabi put her pre picked outfit on and the red T right over top!  It looks great.  No picture though... can you guess what I was doing until 11:30 last night and then in the wee hours this morning?  Can you say SCRAMBLE??

I highly recommend accepting flash invites if they ever come your way...

Linked here...

Today I am thankful for...

A husband who makes me laugh all the time.  

You will see in some of these radical photos that I try and keep up with his high jinx, but then I realize that I am no match for this face and the hilarity that it holds... it is better that I just smile.

Seriously though...

the funny faces you make, 

the ridiculous songs you sing,

the awesome dance moves you have,

the infectious laugh that you belt out,

it makes my life so much better.  i love you darling.  thank you for being insanely hilarious.  i love it.

Grandma Ruth...

Meet my Grandma Ruth.

A ballsy broad with a zest for life and the world we live in like no one else I have ever known.  Fifty years my senior she has lived a life, thus far, worthy of your admiration.  One of 7sisters and raised in the depression, a father with a personality that requires a book to detail, left home at 16 for something better...

then a wife, then a mother...of three boys.  The stories she tells of this feat alone has me wide eyed and laughing all evening long.

But my favorite... her world traveling and the stories she shares of the places she has been...

Safari's in Africa

The great Barrier Reef

The Middle East

Driving an RV in New Zealand **on the wrong side of the road

Adventures in the Grand Canyon

Riding on a camel in Egypt

Though life has slowed down a bit in these recent years and world travel isn't so much in the cards these days, she still hops in her car and makes the 9 hour drive to Vermont to see me.  And with her she brings a mind full of questions, enthusiasm, wonder, and interest.  Topics discussed this weekend:

The nature of God

The Afterlife

The global awakening

The blueprint for the New Earth

The societal shift

The consolidation of power within the corporate and banking industries

and my favorite statement : getting old is not for sissies.

With all that on our minds I was not surprised when this book, pictured below, jumped out at her in the store and she bought it immediately... One of her favorite topics of discussion; what would one need to survive on a desert island and are you someone who would be useful and/or resourceful... if not, no

entrance for you!

Thank you for your visit dear Grandma.  It was so lovely to see you.  I look forward to a visit, in the dead of winter perhaps, so we can cozy up in your house and continue our conversations...

xo